ONLY for the company’s glory? Far from it.
Chooks-to-Go’s successful staging of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Manila Masters over the weekend not only brought triumph to the firm but also to the Philippines.
The Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3’s continuous participation and hosting of FIBA 3×3 events enabled the country’s ranking to rise to No. 18 in the world.
Gaining valuable FIBA 3×3 points is important in the crucial stretch as the cutoff for qualification in both the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Olympic qualifying tournament is just 18 months away.
“We already know the formula for us to reach the OQT having done so during the last Olympic cycle. Maintaining our rank will be relatively easy,” Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas said.
“The goal now is to turn our players into world-class athletes. Hosting and participating bring in points but winning FIBA 3×3 tournaments will bring maximum points,” he added.
Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 teams have competed in three Super Quests which are level eight events the past two months.
The Philippines gained 22,750 points in Dubai last March 31, 80,675 points for hosting and winning the Asia Pacific Super Quest last April 30, and 52,805 points for joining the Ulaanbaatar Super Quest last May 6 to 7.
The biggest points came from the Manila Masters as it brought in 247,158 points, lifting the country from its previous No. 27 rank.
In contrast, a full conference composed of seven legs from a level four domestic league in the country only brings in almost 35,000 points in total.
The top eight players in the country all belong to Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 as well.
Cebu Chooks’ Mac Tallo retained his spot as the country’s ace 3×3 player while also rising to No. 72 in the world with (149,120). This is the highest position a Filipino has notched in the World Tour era since former Pasig Chooks player Joshua Munzon placed 92nd during the fourth week of May 2019.
Cebu’s Zach Huang (114th, 98,941 points), Manila’s Chico Lanete (139th, 86,612), Manila’s Dennis Santos (163rd, 75,817), Cebu’s Brandon Ramirez (191st, 66,722), Manila’s Mark Yee (303rd, 41,515), Manila’s Ken Holmqvist (435th, 27,000), and Manila’s Ron Dennison (785th, 17,160) complete the top eight.
“We are looking to add more players who will fit Coach Aldin Ayo’s system so that we can fill up the top 25 slots in the country,” Mascariñas said.
“We are pleased with the developments of our program,” Ayo said. “This is just the start, and we are hoping that the players continue to embrace not just our system but also this sport.”
